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D Crabb

Publications and source records attributed to D Crabb.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Identification of the 37-kd rat liver protein that forms an acetaldehyde adduct in vivo as delta 4-3-ketosteroid 5 beta-reductase.

Acetaldehyde, the first product of alcohol metabolism, is highly reactive. Several proteins have been shown to be covalently modified by acetaldehyde in vivo. We have previously reported the detection of a cytosolic 37-kd protein-acetaldehyde adduct (-AA) in the liver of alcohol-fed rats. The liver extract from an alcohol-fed rat was subjected to 2-dimensional (2D) sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane, and the 37-kd protein-AA spot was digested with trypsin and sequenced for amino acids. Degenerate oligonucleotides corresponding to a peptide sequence of the protein-AA were used as the probe to screen a lambda gt11 rat liver complementary DNA (cDNA) library. A clone that extended to a potential ATG start codon was identified. The open reading frame was 978 nucleotides long, encoding 326 amino acid residues. The sequence matched that of rat liver delta 4-3-ketosteroid 5 beta-reductase. The cloned cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli using pGEX-KG as the vector. The expressed protein was found to be of correct molecular weight. It reacted with an antibody that recognized the unmodified liver 37-kd protein by Western blotting. Peptide profiles of tryptic-digested recombinant protein and the purified rat liver 37-kd protein were similar and yielded the same peptide sequence. delta 4-3-ketosteroid 5 beta-reductase catalyzes the reduction of key intermediates during bile acid biosynthesis. Whether modification of the 5 beta-reductase by acetaldehyde affects the enzyme activity and bile acid synthesis remains to be studied.

Acetaldehyde↗

17 beta-Estradiol inhibits expression of human interleukin-6 promoter-reporter constructs by a receptor-dependent mechanism.

We previously reported that 17 beta-estradiol inhibits cytokine-stimulated bioassayable IL-6 and the steady-state level of IL-6 mRNA. To determine the molecular basis of this effect, the transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid driven by the human IL-6 promoter was studied here in HeLa or murine bone marrow stromal cells (MBA 13.2). 17 beta-estradiol (10(-8) M) completely suppressed stimulated CAT expression in HeLa cells cotransfected with IL-6/CAT constructs and a human estrogen receptor (hER) expression plasmid; but had no effect on reporter expression in HeLa cells not transfected with hER. 17 beta-estradiol also inhibited stimulated expression in MBA 13.2 cells (which express the estrogen receptor constitutively) without the requirement of cotransfection of the hER plasmid. The hormonal effects were indistinguishable between constructs containing a 1.2-kb fragment of the 5' flanking region of the IL-6 gene or only the proximal 225-bp fragment. However, yeast-derived recombinant hER did not bind to the 225-bp segment in DNA band shift assays, nor did the 225-bp fragment compete for binding of an estrogen response element oligonucleotide to yeast-derived estrogen receptor. These data suggest that 17 beta-estradiol inhibits the stimulated expression of the human IL-6 gene through an estrogen receptor mediated indirect effect on the transcriptional activity of the proximal 225-bp sequence of the promoter.

Base Sequence↗

In vitro susceptibilities of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma hominis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum to sparfloxacin and PD 127391.

The in vitro activities of two investigational quinolones, sparfloxacin (previously designated AT 4140) and PD 127391, were determined for 30 strains each of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma hominis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum and compared with those of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, clindamycin, and erythromycin. Erythromycin was the most active compound against M. pneumoniae (maximum MIC, less than 0.008 microgram/ml). PD 127391 (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.031 microgram/ml), sparfloxacin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.25 microgram/ml), clindamycin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.5 microgram/ml), and tetracycline (MICs, 0.063 to 0.25 microgram/ml) were superior to ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.5 to 2 microgram/ml). Sparfloxacin and PD 127391 were active against M. hominis (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.031 microgram/ml for each) at concentrations comparable to those of clindamycin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.063 microgram/ml) and at concentrations lower than those of ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.125 to 0.5 microgram/ml). As expected, M. hominis was resistant to erythromycin (MICs, 32 to greater than or equal to 256 micrograms/ml). For U. urealyticum, PD 127391 (MICs, 0.031 to 0.5 microgram/ml) and sparfloxacin (MICs, 0.063 to 1 microgram/ml) were superior to erythromycin (MICs, 0.25 to 4 micrograms/ml), ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.5 to 8 micrograms/ml), and clindamycin (MICs, 0.25 to 64 micrograms/ml. Both new quinolones were equally active against tetracycline-susceptible as well as resistant strains of M. hominis and U. urealyticum. The possible influence of medium components and/or pH on MICs was evaluated by testing a Staphylococcus aureus reference strain with each antibiotic in SP-4 broth and 10-B broth and comparing the results with published MICs for this strain. MICs determined in 10-B broth for erythromycin were affected most. This study shows that the activities of sparfloxacin and PD 127391 are similar to one another and comparable or superior to those of other drugs used to treat mycoplasmal infections. The MICs of both new quinolones were consistently 2 to several dilutions lower than those of ciprofloxacin for each species.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

Oral medications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy using a small diameter endoscope.

We carried out a double-blinded, randomized prospective study to compare patient tolerance of small diameter endoscopes using limited potency oral premedication to complement topical anesthesia. Patients randomly received either oral placebo, diphenhydramine (100 mg), acetaminophen (1000 mg), or both drugs 30 to 60 min prior to endoscopy. All patients received topical Cetacaine and underwent upper endoscopy with the Olympus XP10 7.9-mm fiberscope. The combination of acetaminophen (1000 mg) and diphenhydramine (100 mg) significantly improved tolerance over topical anesthetic alone. Obvious sedation from the medications was infrequent. Gag response after a topical anesthesia was a significant predictor of patient tolerance. We conclude that small diameter endoscopes are well tolerated for diagnostic upper endoscopy. Oral premedications additionally improve tolerance slightly.

Acetaminophen↗